I was fortunate to be invited and attended Saturday’s (August 19) MidwestCon in Cincinnati. What a truly remarkable experience with some magnificent presenters droppin’ some serious knowledge.
I value attending these types of “innovative” and “disruptive” conferences, as they keep me on the front lines of the latest problems and solutions. I took copious notes at the event and attributed the quotes/insights to the respective panelist (where I recall the quote attributions). Thank you to all for the hospitality and incredible wisdom.
MidwestCon HIGHLIGHTS & NOTES
- Panel #1 – “How technology can drive transformation in the criminal system.” Rob Richardson and Aswad Thomas, MSW
- Invest in the movement at the grassroots level that supports changes to the criminal systems Aswad Thomas, MSW
- Use your influence and power to change the legislative system Aswad Thomas, MSW
- Panel #2 – “Steering the =Future Through Collaboration” Rob Richardson Neville G. Pinto Aftab Pureval David London
- University of Cincinnati‘s slogan is “Next Lives Here.” Neville G. Pinto *Love this slogan as it conveys a look ahead and a community of future leaders.
- “Innovation is the only way to move forward” Neville G. Pinto
- “Much of what students learn their first few years will change by the time they graduate.” Neville G. Pinto
- “Learn to be adaptable, resilient, collaborative, creative, innovative. Provide information, but do the work.” Neville G. Pinto
- “We need to get communities involved and tell better stories.” David London
- “Clear, concise communication will lead to further understanding of innovation.” David London
- “We have moral challenges on major decisions that need to be made in our community and country.” Aftab Pureval
- “Cincinnati is growing with the largest consumer brand (Proctor & Gamble (I) Limited.) and largest grocer (Kroger). A.I. to make the make the biggest impact to these consumer brands in the coming years.” Aftab Pureval
- “People of color trust crypto currency more than banks and credit unions because lack of trust in financial institutions.” David London
- “We need to take down the obstacles for entry for innovation.” Aftab Pureval
- Presentation: Future-Proof Marketer: Exploring AI for Marketing Success Matthew Dooley @beth-johnson Stella Udeozor
- “Look at A.I. as a virtual assistant”
- Use Captions (Captions.AI) for eye-tracking and language translation
- ChatGPT can help with ad copy, concepts & ideas, hashtags, captions, visual directions, proof reading, blog content, video scripts, speeches, FAQs, naming, translations and presentations
- Panel #3: Designing the Future: Integrating Technology into the Creative Processes Patrick Haney Tysonn Betts Delanie West Jennifer Javornik @Adam-kahn Grey Midwest
- “Technology is a tool. A.I. is a tool. Hammer is a tool. It’s up to us to to figure out how to harness the tools.”
- QUESTION I had (but didn’t ask): “Is A.I. and ChatGPT innovating or regurgitating?”
- “We all are craving unique qualities.”
- Question from moderator: “What technology will be most useful in the next five years?” –Hope for technology to be ethical. — Real-time delivery of information. –Job transition. –Advertising will be more engaging. –Products will be more functional.
- “It is continually important to know the human on the other end of the product.”
- Panel #4 – Demystifying the Deal: A Deep Dive into How VCs Evaluate Startups Eric Lapaglia Barbara Bickham Justin Gilanyi Justis Mendez
- “I bet on the jockey, not the horse.” Justin Gilanyi
- “What I look for in investing in companies…Head, Hand, Heart. Head – Who is behind the company. Hand – How was it crafted. Heart – Life experiences.” Justin Gilanyi
- “I look at the people behind the company as a whole.” Barbara Bickham
- “I ask, ‘Are you solving tomorrow’s problems?’ ‘Will this problem be there tomorrow.” Justis Mendez
- “VC is like oil drilling…you gotta create your own pipeline.”
- “I’m not looking for the best, really…but the only.”
- “Ask all start-up executives to write a New York Times headline, ‘What does success look like in five years?” Justis Mendez
- “Sales = a transfer of passion and enthusiasm.”
- Panel #5 – THE FUTURE of Multi-Cultural Branding and Marketing Alisa Jacobs Damon Jones Kerel Cooper @kathy-liu
- “Brand Permission. Know your lane. Get permission when approaching. Are you invited to the party? Are you a +1 or the one who was invited?”
- “You can’t be a futurist if you’re not a historian. Know the past.”
